━━ CHAPTER TWELVE / its a trap

The entire day had been filled with tension. Poe had only been gone a few hours before he returned and he seemed to be in an even worse mood than before. Eliana didn't know what to say, so she didn't say anything. She sat on her datapad and continued her research. She had managed to get access to some data logs through the Investor's comms and it was interesting, useful. Leia would be pleased and that's all that was pushing her forward.

They had to meet the Investor and pretend to be a couple but they weren't even looking at each other. Eliana was worried but she didn't say anything. There was nothing else she could think to say. She had never been all that good at conflict resolution. She could argue her case well but if people didn't understand, she wouldn't try. People rarely tried to understand others and she didn't even know how to start with Poe.

It was only when she couldn't get the zip of her dress up that they spoke again. He approached without saying a word and took a gentle hold of her wrists. He placed her hands back down by her sides and then gently zipped up her dress. His touch lingered and she let her eyes close, enjoying the feeling for the brief moment she had it.

"Thank you," She mumbled softly. He just nodded his head in response and went back to getting ready himself. It was not a formal event, she knew that but every meeting whether they were in apartments or offices required some formality. Which is why Eliana had opted for a dress. It was nowhere near as formal or gorgeous as the red one she had worn to the soiree but it suited the occasion. She hoped.

"I have a lead to follow up once we are finished at the apartment," Poe said. Eliana nodded, not finding a verbal response necessary. He then returned back to the task at hand and laced his shoes up. But before Eliana could say anything, there was a knock at the hotel door. Her eyebrows furrowed together and she walked over.

It could be the housekeeper. The poor woman had started knocking to avoid any awkward situation but it was far too late to be here. Eliana couldn't think who could possibly be at the door and so, she opened it. A forced smile on her face.

Relya stood on the other side and Eliana's face dropped in an instant. Poe looked up from his shoes and his face dropped too, though for a very different reason. Eliana tilted her head slightly, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"Hi." Nothing else seemed to want to come out of her throat and she even stuttered over that single word. Relya glanced to Poe and then back at Eliana.

"I have an urgent matter we need to discuss," Relya purposefully kept her words vague but it only served to confuse Eliana more. She glanced back at Poe and he had turned his gaze back to his shoes. He didn't look pleased.

"We have plans to attend to, Senator. Would we be able to discuss this matter in the morning?" Eliana asked. She had to be diplomatic and she tried to make her face somewhat neutral but the panic seemed to have seeped into her look. She would not have minded Relya's appearance if the argument earlier hadn't occurred. If she was blind to Poe's dislike of the woman then Eliana would have happily invited her in for a conversation but she wasn't so blind.

"No." The bluntness to Relya got the message across and so, Eliana stepped back from the door. Relya stepped inside and she watched as Poe stood up from the bed. He walked to the fresher, leaving the door ajar while he made sure he looked presentable in the mirror.

"Relya, you cannot be here," Eliana said once the door was firmly closed. Relya sighed and walked over towards the bed. She put space between them. Relya was dressed so casually. It was a jarring sight to see her like this again but a welcome one. The more Eliana saw Relya, the more it felt like old times. The more she fell for Relya all over again.

"You're meeting someone tonight, aren't you?" Relya asked. Eliana saw Poe's head shoot up in the reflection of the bathroom mirror. The scowl appeared on his face but Eliana couldn't tell who he was annoyed at, if anyone.

"Yes," Eliana confirmed before asking, "Why?" They hadn't discussed the plans for tonight. Well, Eliana assumed she hadn't said anything. The dinner and their topics of conversation was hazy. She just remembered being so happy.

"It's a trap," Relya's tone was firm and Eliana's face crumpled. She glanced at the mirror but Poe had turned away. She wasn't even sure what he was doing in there but she didn't care. She turned her gaze back to Relya.

"What? How do you-?" Eliana mumbled out, not quite understanding.

"I just do," Relya's voice was firm and Eliana nodded. There was no questioning from then. Eliana knew better than to question it, "I will inform him that you're not coming. I just need an excuse." Poe walked back out of the bathroom and he glanced between the two women.

"We argued," He suggested. Eliana nodded and pushed her fingers through her hair. But that was a shit excuse, "He already thinks we have marriage problems." There was a little shrug at the end of Poe's words and Relya nodded.

"But it makes us look unprofessional. Hana was injured. I was out late last night and coming back, I twisted my ankle. Or what I thought was a twist but I tore a ligament and I can't walk on it without severe uncomfortableness," Eliana said. It was still so easy for her to lie and Poe couldn't fathom it. He had never realised how easy it came to her. It concerned him but she had never lied to him as far as he could tell so he didn't mind it all that much.

"Okay. That's what I'll tell him," Relya nodded. Eliana smiled and glanced at the wardrobe. At least she didn't have to wear the dress any longer, it made her uncomfortable. It was tight but in all the wrong places. It was not the most flattering outfit.

"Thank you for telling us," Eliana said as she met Relya's gaze again. Relya shrugged and the corners of Eliana's lips raised in a smile. It wasn't an intentional smile but Poe could see the adoration written across Eliana's face. It was so obvious, painfully obvious.

"I'll see you around," Relya said. She then nodded at Poe but didn't say a word to him. Once the woman had left, Poe wasted no time in getting changed. Eliana found herself staring at the spot where Relya had just been for a moment before she turned completely. She went into the closet and picked out some comfy clothes.

"So that was her." Eliana nodded in response to Poe's words. She could feel his gaze burning into the back of her head. There was something in his tone but Eliana couldn't work out what. So, she elected to ignore it.

"Can you unzip me?" Eliana asked. Poe walked over and he eased the zipper down. That touch again. It was electric and she hated it. Hated that he made her feel like that with something so simple. It was confusing.

"Will you be fine here?" Poe's words were short, curt but it only served to confuse Eliana. The dress dropped in a pool at her feet and she pulled a pyjama shirt over her body. It was baggy on her and covered enough that she felt like she could turn around to face him without being embarrassed.

"Yeah. Where are you going?" Eliana asked as she pulled on a set of pants. Poe kicked his shoes off and pulled one of his own jackets on. He had already changed shirts and he slipped into a more comfortable pair of shoes.

"Following a lead. I'll be back before you sleep." Again, the curt response. Eliana watched as he moved, unsure what to say. She couldn't tell if he was annoyed at her or annoyed that they had wasted their time with the Investor. Either way, it worried her.

"Do you need any help?" She asked as he grabbed his comm and checked himself over in the mirror by the door.

"No." And then he opened the door and left. Eliana stood there, baffled. People were useless, they never said what they were feeling but Poe had been good at that. He was usually excellent at it but as she stood alone in their hotel room, she felt blindsided.

But she tried not to let it get to her. Instead, she turned to her closet and picked up her - Poe's - jacket. She hadn't worn it since she had gotten here but she wanted to. So, she pulled it on and sat down in bed. There were still more data logs to get through and plenty of time to waste.

-

It was late when Poe returned and Eliana had fallen asleep in the jacket. Her head rested at an awkward angle, her datapad slipping from her lap. He wasn't sure why she hadn't just gone to bed without him and the guilt gnawed at his edges as he took the datapad from her hands. He didn't understand how she had fallen asleep sitting up.

But despite his confusion, he now had to get her lying down. She would wake up with a crick in her neck if he didn't, he just didn't want to wake her. He started with the jacket first. It was hard enough seeing her in his jacket at Base but she was wearing it here too and it made him adore her so much more. Part of him wondered if she knew that it was his. Or if she'd had it that long that she'd forgotten.

Poe didn't forget. He thought she looked gorgeous in his clothes but she would get too warm wearing it. So, with careful movements, he took it off and she didn't seem to stir at all. She was completely boneless as he draped it on top of the dresser. He then returned to her and gently pushed one arm underneath her knees. He rested the other underneath her back and lifted her. That was when she stirred, a mumble of garbled words falling from her lips but then silence.

Poe pushed back the covers awkwardly and placed her down. He pulled the covers over her and she turned over. Her back facing him and her hands seemed to be seeking out something. Another body or a pillow but there was nothing.

Another mumble that he couldn't understand as her eyes blinked open. Her head turned to face where Poe had just been and she frowned. She let her head drop back to the bed. Poe changed into his pyjamas and after a few more minutes, slid into bed beside her. There was quiet for a moment and then her eyes blinked open again.

Eliana smiled sleepily and as he set his alarm for the next day on his datapad, she shuffled over to him. Once he placed his datapad down on the bedside table, she wrapped her arms around him properly. She didn't say anything, she just pulled him closer to her.

He rolled over to be sleeping more comfortably but it didn't deter her. Instead, she curled up against his chest.

"Are you alright?" Poe asked softly but there was no response. He just assumed she had fallen back asleep and said nothing more. His hands gently wrapped around her and he listened to her breathe as he desperately tried to drift to sleep. But he just couldn't. Not with the thoughts of Eliana circling his head.

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